


Family Times

by onesevenstyles (orphan_account)



Series: Family Times [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-11
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-17 10:42:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3526277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/onesevenstyles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of stories involving the Tomlinson-Styles family, with some Horan-Malik and Payne families here and there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Day of School

“Do you have your schedules?”

Malachi, Lanie, and Claire all sighed exasperatedly at their father, shoving the printed pieces of paper into his line of sight.

“Don’t forget about my football game tonight.” Malachi reminded his fathers.

Louis and Harry both hummed their promises to be there and Malachi smiled before spotting one of his friends and hurrying away.  Lanie and Claire did the same, but not before Louis forced them into quick hugs.  

“I can take Tatum and Aiden.” Harry offered, referring to the next two oldest kids.

Louis nodded in agreement and allowed the youngest three- two, actually, since Grayson was far more interested in the people surrounding them- say their goodbyes to Harry.

“I’ll see you at the game.” Louis promised before parting ways with his husband.

Logan laced his hand into Louis’ and Jai grabbed on to his father’s pant leg since his other hand was supporting Grayson’s bum, and the four made their way towards the lower grade elementary school building.  Logan walked into his second grade classroom easily- after hugging Louis goodbye first, of course- but Jai was a bit more of a struggle.

“I wanna stay with you, Daddy.” Jai whined.

Louis sighed and set Grayson on his feet before bending down to Jai’s level.  He knew it would be difficult since it was the first time Jai wouldn’t be staying home with Louis while his older siblings went to school.

“It’ll be lots of fun, buddy.” Louis assured him.

The five year old frowned.  

“I wanna have with with you and Grayson.”

Louis frowned.  He didn’t quite know how to respond to that.

“You don’t want to stay here and play games all day?” Louis confirmed.

Jai paused at the mention of games.

“What kinda games?” he asked cautiously.

“Whatever you want.” Louis answered dramatically.

Jai’s eyes widened theatrically and he looked at Grayson, watching the two year old as he attempted to climb onto Louis’ back.  

“Okay.” Jai agreed.

Louis smiled to himself and leaned forward onto his knees, hugging his son close.

“I’ll pick you up in a few hours, okay?”

Jai nodded and hugged his baby brother next.  

“Bye, Grayson.” Jai smiled.

The two year old wiggled out of the hug and went back to Louis, lifting his arms and demanding to be carried.  Louis laughed and obliged, rising to his feet and watching Jai enter the classroom before turning and walking back towards the parking lot.

Louis buckled Grayson into his carseat before getting into the driver’s seat and glancing at Grayson through the rearview mirror.

“What should we do today, little man?” he asked.


	2. Monday Night Football

“I don’t see him, Daddy!” Aiden whined.

Louis looked at all of the football players scattered around the field before he spotted his son in the crowd of navy blue players.  

“He’s right there.” Louis said, pointing straight through the crowd.

“What number is he?” Aiden asked.

“Seventeen.” Louis replied.

Aiden strained his little eyes before his face lit up.

“I see him! Chi! Chi!” Aiden yelled.

The teenager turned around at the sound of his name and smiled, waving at his family.  The seventeen year old then turned to his coach, exchanging a few words before jogging over to the first row where his family was seated.  

“Chi!” Grayson whined, wiggling off Harry’s lap.

Malachi gladly reached over the stands and took his baby brother into his arms, grinning at Logan and Aiden’s painted faces.

“Nice tats.” Malachi commented, looking to Jai and Tatum.

The five and twelve year olds returned the smile.  

“Where are the twins?” Malachi asked, looking to the two empty seats at the end of the row.

“Lanie got caught up at swim practice, and Claire said her teacher wanted to talk to her about an upcoming audition for the district orchestra.” Louis explained.

Malachi hummed, shrugging before a few of his teammates called out to him.  The quarterback looked over his shoulder to his teammates, who were starting their pre-game huddle, and handed Grayson back over the fence to Harry before jogging back to his team.  

 

The game ended in a victory for Hillcrest, and Harry said it called for a celebration at the pizza parlour, which is what landed the family, as well as the Paynes and Horan-Maliks, in their favorite pizza shop a few blocks from the Calabasas neighborhood where they all lived.  

Malachi was dating Liam and Sophia’s daughter, Kylie, and the two had gone to the arcade to play some games with the younger kids while the parents stayed back and chatted.

Following One Direction, Liam had gone into the music producing industry with Harry, whereas Niall and Zayn had chosen to settle down and had adopted their twin boys four years ago.  

“Has Simon contacted you guys yet?” Zayn asked.

Louis, Harry, and Liam all raised curious eyebrows.

“What about?” Liam questioned.

Zayn and Niall exchanged an unsure look before Niall spoke.

“He wants us to have a reunion tour.”

“Where to?  And how long?” Louis asked.

Niall and Zayn both shrugged.

“He said he wanted to have a meeting to discuss that.”

Louis hummed in acknowledgement.

“I guess that wouldn’t be so bad.”

All five of them nodded in agreement.  

 

 


	3. Meeting with Simon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter sucks- it’s just meant to be a kind of filler.

The five boys had their meeting with Simon the following Saturday.

Malachi, Lanie, and Claire were left in charge of the other five children while Louis and Harry drove into Hollywood to meet Simon at the studio Harry and Liam owned.

 

“Good afternoon, boys.” Simon greeted.

Each boy sat around the table with a folder in front of them.  Simon stood at the head of the table with a dry erase board and marker in hand.

“All we’re doing today is figuring out tour dates and locations.” Simon announced.

All five boys nodded and started the meeting.

“I know for us and Liam, we have kids graduating in May.  So I’d prefer to start after that.” Harry suggested.

Simon nodded.

“And we all have kids attending school next fall, meaning we should end it by then.” Liam added.

Simon uncapped the marker and wrote at the top of the board: June 2034 - August 2034.

“Sounds perfect.”

“How should we determine exact dates?” Niall asked.

“That will all depend on location.  After the meeting, I’ll contact the appropriate venues and get information on available dates.  We can schedule a later meeting to approve these dates, and then we also need to think of opening acts.” Simon explained.

“I think if we’re doing a reunion tour we should use old opening acts.” Liam suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement and there was a short silence before Simon drew a line beneath the tentative dates.

“Now you need to pick cities.  In my opinion, I think when you get around Europe you should stick to one city for every two countries or so.” Simon advised.

The boys frowned at the idea of not being able to see all of their fans, but nodded anyways.  

"I think we should end in America. Ya know, to ease the kids back in before school starts?" Liam suggested.

"But you could argue the opposite- only Malachi and Kylie have been on tour. It might be better to ease into it by starting in America." Louis pointed out.

“I agree.” Zayn noted.

Liam reluctantly agreed to their suggestions and the boys spent the next thirty minutes were spent choosing locations.

“It looks good to me.” Simon approved.

The other five boys hummed in agreement.

“So, we’ve got Cardiff, London, Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Dublin, Vienna, Brussels, Oslo, and Gothenburg for the European dates.  And then we’ll head to Australia for Sydney and Melbourne, followed by Osaka and Tokyo, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, and Dubai.  Then you’ll come to Canada for Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.  And to end in America, we’ve listed Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, Buffalo, and Boston.”

Simon stepped back to take a picture with his phone before turning back to address the boys.

“It’s going to be an extremely busy tour.” he warned.

Five reluctant faces stared back at him, heads nodding slowly.


	4. Sick Days Ruin Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a big family, sick days ruin everyone.

The toaster beeped before ejecting the pieces of bread inside of it, and Louis hurried over to grab them before they got burnt like the last set.  He slathered each side with a bit of butter and jelly before cutting them up and putting one half on each plate, setting all the food on the table.

“Breakfast is ready!” Louis shouted as loudly as he could.

Louis could hear footsteps stampeding down the stairs and stepped out of the doorway as all of his kids came running inside.  Louis frowned when he noticed an empty seat.

“Where’s Jai?” Louis asked the older three kids.

Lanie and Claire shrugged, and Malachi sipped his orange juice before addressing his father.

“I dunno, but he came into my room last night saying he didn’t feel well.”

Louis sighed and turned to yell back up the stairs when he was interrupted.

“Daddy!”

The distressed call had Louis immediately rushing up the stairs and into the five year old’s room, where he was sitting in his bed, sick all over his front.

“Oh, bug, what happened?” Louis cooed, rushing over.

“I feel icky, Daddy.” Jai whined, tears running down his face.

Louis lifted the boy off the bed and pulling off his pajamas, leaving him in his pull up.

“C’mere, bug.”

Louis scooped the five year old up into his arms, carrying him to the en suite bathroom connecting Jai and Grayson’s rooms and setting him on the toilet lid.

“How about you take a cold bath?” Louis suggested.

Jai nodded and Louis brushed the hair off his sweaty forehead, frowning sympathetically at the sick boy.  Louis let the tub fill before gently placing Jai in the water and starting to drag a wet washcloth over his warm body.  Jai remained quiet, which was odd for the usually hyper child, and Louis took his time cleaning him off and washing his hair.

“Stay here, okay?  I’m gonna get you some new clothes, buddy.” Louis explained.

Louis made sure Jai was leaning against the tub before reentering the bedroom and pulling the sheets off the bed so they were in a heap in the middle of the mattress before going to the boy’s closet and pulling out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.  

“Dad?”

Louis turned to see Malachi leaning in the doorway.

“I’m about to head off with Lanie and Claire,” Malachi trailed.

“Can you take the others?” Louis asked.

Malachi’s eyes widened.

“Dad, I have football practice after school.” Malachi reminded him.

“I’ll pick them up, Chi- I just need you to take them.” Louis practically begged.

The teenager sighed before seeming to notice the vomit covered sheets and reluctantly agreed before walking off again.  

Louis thought for a moment that the boy would reappear saying there was no way he could drive seven of his siblings to school, but was told otherwise when he heard the garage door open and close and the house remained silent.

“Daddy?”

Louis was snapped back to the matter at hand and hurried into the bathroom once again, pulling a fluffy green towel from behind the door and helping Jai out of the tub, wrapping his tiny body into the towel.  Louis then lifted Jai into his arms again and carried him into the bedroom, starting to dry off the five year old.

“Can you dress yourself, buddy?  I’ve got to check on your brother.” Louis asked.

Jai nodded drowsily and Louis kissed him softly on the forehead before passing through the bathroom and into Grayson’s nursery, lifting the now awake baby from his crib.  Louis quickly changed his diaper and dressed him in a pair of khaki pants and a navy blue V-neck, carrying the half asleep toddler back to Jai’s room.  

The five year old was sitting on his unmade bed, eyes half closed.

“What do you want to do today?” Louis asked, trying to put some excitement into his voice.

“Nemo!” Jai shouted, suddenly excitedly.

Louis laughed and his boy’s antics and held out a hand to him, guiding the five year old down the stairs and into the living room.  Normally, they would watch the movie in the small home theater they had, but since Jai had looked ready to fall asleep, Louis decided to set up shop on the large couch in the living room.  

 

The movie was almost halfway over when Louis’ phone rang.  Jai gave him an annoyed look as he paused the movie to answer the call, and Louis stayed on the couch since Grayson had fallen asleep on his lap.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Mr. Tomlinson-Styles?”

“Yes, this is Louis.”

“Hello, this is the nurse at Hillcrest Christian.  I’m calling to let your know your son is sick and needs to be picked up.”

“Who?”

“Uh, Malachi?”

Louis closed his eyes and dropped his head onto the couch behind him.

“Is he allowed to drive himself home?  I’ve got my other two kids here with me.” Louis asked.

“Sure.”

“Thank you.”

The line went dead and Louis started the movie again, unable to focus until he heard the garage door opening, followed by the sound of the front door being unlocked.

“Sorry, Dad.”

Malachi fell onto the couch beside Louis and the father waved away his apology.

“What’s up?” Louis asked.

“I’ve got a killer headache and I threw up during first period.”

Louis nodded.

“There’s some medicine in the cabinet in your father and my’s bathroom.”

Malachi took the hint and took the stairs two at a time, disappearing down the hallway before returning about five minutes later.

“It said it helps you sleep.” Malachi noted with a smile.

Louis laughed at his oldest son as he curled up on the recliner next to the couch.  Within minutes, Malachi had fallen asleep and Jai had knocked out around the time Malachi came home, so Louis slipped away and called Harry.

“Hey, Lou!” Harry chirped.

“Hi, Haz.”

“What did you need?” Harry asked.

Louis guessed he had a meeting soon because Harry usually liked to catch up with whatever had been happening.

“Chi was just sent home sick, so can you pick up the others on your way home?” Louis asked.

“Chi’s sick?” Harry clarified.

“And Jai.” Louis confirmed.

Louis could picture Harry’s frown on the other end.

“Yeah, I’ll get them.  Did you give them both medicine?” Harry asked.

“Yup- they’re out like lights.”

"Okay."

"Thanks. Bye."

"Bye."

Louis disconnected the call and went back into the living room, where the two boys were still asleep and Grayson had slid down the couch and was playing with some blocks on the floor.

The father sat cross legged on the floor next to the two year old and watched as Grayson threw the blocks around before looking at Louis with curious eyes, sucking furiously on his pacifier.  

"Da?" he asked, voice muffled by the pacifier.

Louis hummed in acknowledgement and Grayson crawled into his lap, standing up and starting to pull at Louis' air.

"Hungry, Da."

Louis smiled and skillfully picked Grayson up, standing with the toddler in his arms and making his way into the kitchen, pulling a carton of Goldfish from the cupboard.  

Grayson hadn’t even eaten three of the crackers before he was throwing up down his front and Louis rushed over, lifting the toddler from the high chair he had been placed in and hurrying upstairs.

 

By the time Harry got home at three o’clock with the other five children, Louis had cleaned up more puke than he would have liked and was trying to push his impending headache away.  

“This is a disaster.” Harry summarized, carrying bottles of water to the now five sick kids upstairs.

When Harry had gotten home, he insisted on moving Malachi, Grayson, and Jai to their rooms, and Tatum and Lanie followed when they started whining about not feeling well.  

Louis hummed in agreement and waited for his husband to return before sticking out his bottom lip in a pout.

“Let me guess,” Harry began.

The curly haired man collapsed onto the couch next to Louis.

“Is my little Loubear feeling poorly?” Harry asked, his tone resembling the way he spoke to Grayson.  

Louis continued to sick his bottom lip out as he nodded slowly.  Harry frowned and cooed gently, leaning in to kiss Louis and baiting him before he pulled away.

“Hey!” Louis whined.

Harry laughed and stood up.

“Sorry, can’t be getting sick!” Harry teased, waltzing into the kitchen.


	5. Big Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis accompanies his son on an important college visit.

Malachi smoothed out his navy blue Hillcrest polo shirt over his torso and pulled the ends of his khaki pants over his white Converse, straightening up and letting out a nervous sigh.

“Don’t be nervous, Chi.” Louis assured him.

The seventeen year old looked at his father as if he were growing a third eye.

“Don’t be nervous?  Dad, this is the most important thing I’ve ever done.  If I don’t make a good impression,” Malachi trailed off.

Louis waved him off.

“Chi, you’ve already gotten yourself this far.  The rest is easy.”

Malachi still seemed unsure, but he didn’t have much time to think before a middle-aged man was making his way over, a large grin on his face.

“Good morning, I’m Coach Salcedo.”

“Malachi Tomlinson-Styles.”

Louis watched the two shake hands before the coach turned to him.

“I’m Louis, Malachi’s dad- or, one of them.”

The two adults exchanged a few words- mostly about how the coach knew all about who Louis was- before the reason for their visit, Malachi, was turned to again.

“So, Malachi, I’m basically going to give you a tour of the campus, you’ll get to sit in for about ten minutes in a class, I’ll show you the athletic dorms, you can have lunch in our main cafeteria, and then you’ll be allowed to watch a brief field session.” Salcedo listed.

Malachi nodded in understanding.

“Oh, and we’ve also got this for you.”

The coach handed a folder and plastic bag to Malachi, which the teenager opened to produce a blue UCLA soccer jersey with Malachi’s name and number on it.  Louis and Malachi shared a laugh at the way “Tomlinson-Styles” had been crammed into the small space on the back.

“Let’s get started.” Salcedo noted after Malachi had changed into the new top.

 

Louis hung a few feet back for the entire tour and class experience, and even sat at a separate table during lunch.  The father snapped a few pictures to send to Harry, who was on babysitting duty, and watched with a smile as Malachi beamed at everything he was shown and told.  It was pretty safe to say that any nerves he had had were long gone.  

“How are you liking it so far?” Louis asked when they were sat down to watch the field session.

Malachi beamed at Louis.

“It’s amazing, Dad, it really is.”

Louis smiled back at his son as he turned his attention to the team, who had ended their warm-ups and was breaking into groups for a scrimmage.

 

At the end of the hour long field session, Coach Salcedo brought Louis and Malachi onto the field to introduce Chi to the players.  Malachi had played in high school with one of the members and the two talked for a little bit before the father and son left.

Louis bought Malachi a baseball cap at his request and the two were on their way back home, Malachi unable to wipe the smile from his face.

“Dad?” Malachi asked.

The two were pulling into the driveway and Louis turned to face his son.

“Hm?” he asked.

“I think that’s the place for me.”

And now Louis was beaming.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of the events in this chapter aren't realistic (like watching practices and some of the other activities) but I thought they'd make the chapter meet my planned ending a bit better (:


	6. It's a Girl Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis and Harry are fairly oblivious when it comes to the needs of their teenage twin girls.

“Dad, can I borrow the car?”

Louis looked up from the book he was reading to Jai and frowned.  

“It’s ten thirty, Claire. Whatever you need to do can wait until the morning.” Louis replied.

“Dad, it can’t.” Claire urged.

Louis rolled his eyes.

“And what’s so important?” Louis challenged.

“I have to pick up, uh, things.” Claire stammered.

Louis shook his head.

“No.” he answered, getting out of Jai’s bed and tucking the boy in.

Claire followed Louis down the hallway, though, and into his bedroom where Harry was lying in bed scrolling through his phone.  

“What’s going on?” Harry asked, noticing the two agitated looking people.

“Dad won’t let me borrow the car.” Claire replied.

“It’s ten thirty!” Louis defended.

“What for?” Harry asked.

“I need to pick up some stuff.” Claire mumbled.

“Stuff?” Harry clarified.

“Yes, Papa, stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“You know.” Claire insisted.

Harry shook his head.

“No, Claire, I don’t know.”

“I can’t tell you!” Claire exclaimed.

“Don’t raise your voice at me.” Harry warned sternly.

Claire groaned loudly.  

“Papa, you wouldn’t understand.”

Harry narrowed his eyes.

“Try me.”

Claire played with her fingers for a bit before sighing.

“I just can’t tell you.” she muttered.

Louis scoffed.

“You’re not using the car tonight.” he declared.

“Dad, trust me, I need it.”

Louis remained unconvinced.

“What for, Claire?”

The teenager remained silent.

“How do you expect me to trust you with the car if you can’t tell me what you need?  For all your father and I know, you could be going off to buy drugs or alcohol or cigarettes with some fake ID,” Louis ranted, “Hell, you might be going to some party or to-”

“It’s girl stuff, Dad!” Claire yelled.

“Girl stu-? Oh.”

Harry remained silent, a look of confusion on his face.

“Girl stuff? I don’t understand.”

Claire blushed a deep red as Louis scratched his head, trying to figure out how to tell his husband.

“You know, her um, her, uh, monthly thing?” Louis stammered.

Harry remained confused and Claire watched as realization hit him and his eyes widened comically before he, too, blushed.  

“So, can I borrow the car?” Claire tried once more.

Louis was shaken from his trance and nodded brokenly.

“Uh, y-yeah, go ahead.” he replied.

Claire smiled thinly at them.

“I’ll be back in half an hour.” she called over her shoulder, walking away.

Louis and Harry exchanged embarrassed looks.

“I think we need a code word.” Harry noted.

“I agree!” Claire shouted.

 

 


	7. Blondes Do It Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lanie wants to go blonde and Tatum tags along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based a few years prior (around 2031)

Louis nudged Harry’s elbow with his own, silently communicating with his husband who was busy noisily eating his spaghetti.  The younger man shuffled further from Louis, though, and the older man was left on his own as he cleared his throat.

Twelve pairs of eyes (the Horan-Maliks had come over for dinner and Grayson was upstairs asleep) looked towards Louis and he chuckled nervously.  Twelve pairs went back to their dinner, but the set of eyes Louis had been watching all evening remained and Louis could see the hesitation in Lanie’s eyes.  He silently urged her to ask about whatever was bothering her.

“Dads?” Lanie finally asked.

Harry stopped eating- for once- and joined Louis in looking to their fourteen year old daughter.  Zayn and Niall also looked to the teenager.

“Yeah?” Harry asked gently.

Lanie’s eyes dropped to her plate for a second before she looked up again.

“Can I dye my hair?”

Louis almost dropped his fork- well, he did, but it was only a short drop to the table- in shock and Harry’s expression remained neutral.  

“To what?” Louis asked hesitantly.

The older father prayed to anyone listening that she wouldn’t name some random color.  

“Uh, I was hoping I could, um, go blonde?”

“Blonde?” Louis clarified.

Lanie nodded nervously.

“Why?” Harry interrupted.

Lanie chewed his lip nervously.

“Because blondes do it better.”

Louis shot a glare to the Irishman across the table.

“Niall, you aren’t even a natural blonde.” Zayn pointed out.

Louis silently thanked him, but he was more sure Zayn had said that because he didn’t want Niall offering his opinion on what most would consider a family matter.  

There was an awkward silence for the next few minutes before Louis shrugged.

“Is that what you want?”

Lanie nodded eagerly.

“Then I guess we could do it.”

The fourteen year old beamed.

“But I’ll only allow Lou.” Louis added, referring to their old hairstylist, Lou Teasdale.

“Okay!” Lanie chirped.

 

The following weekend, Lou Teasdale popped in between a fashion show in Los Angeles and set up shop in the Tomlinson-Styles kitchen, newspapers scattered on the floor and a plastic chair ready.

Louis and Harry sat on the countertop, watching the entire process, and Niall had decided to join them, as well, eager that one of his “nieces” wanted to “look just like him”.  Zayn, meanwhile, had offered to watch the younger kids.  

The entire ordeal lasted about three hours, and Louis found himself holding his breath as he waited for Lanie to walk back into the kitchen from washing her hair upstairs.  

“Gentlemen, the new Lanie Tomlinson-Styles.” Lou smiled.

The kitchen door swung open and Lanie emerged with a sheepish smile.  Louis had to admit the blonde hair looked exceptionally well on the natural blonde, and her blue eyes probably helped it look a bit more natural.  

The fourteen year old did a few twirls, letting her hair fly around her face before the rest of the kids wandered in to take a look.

Tatum had her tongue stuck out in thought as Lanie showed off her new hair, and Louis about fell over when the ten year old spoke up.

“Can I dye my hair next, Daddy?”

 

 


	8. Fame is Like a Hand-Me-Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malachi has always known about his father’s previous occupations. He’s always known about the presence of the cameras. But he never thought they’d ever be interested in him.  
> *In which a day out with Kylie proves to be quite difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted two new chapters today, so if you didn't see the new one before this, now you know it's there (:

Malachi flashed a huge smile at Liam as the door to the Payne household flew open.  The older man enveloped the seventeen year old in a hug before ushering him inside.

“Ky should be down in a minute.” Liam noted.

Malachi nodded in acceptance and the two stood in awkward silence for a bit.  It had always seemed odd to Malachi that he was dating someone he considered very close to his family, but he knew Kylie understood the lifestyle he lived (heck, she lived the same one) and he truly had grown to know exactly the kind of person she was.  There weren’t any behind the scenes secrets he didn’t know and he didn’t have to risk a fake attitude like some girls at his school had once learning about who Malachi’s parents were.  

“Chi!”

The seventeen year old turned and beamed at his girlfriend of two years (today was their anniversary) as she made her way down the stairs and into Malachi’s arms, giving him a quick hug.  

“Happy anniversary.” Malachi smiled.

Kylie gushed before turning to her father.

“Bye, Daddy. I’ll be back by curfew.” Kylie promised.

Liam nodded, trusting the teenagers and knowing Malachi also had a curfew he was held to.  He also knew that Harry would be accompanying them to ensure appropriate behavior.  The former popstar waved to Harry- who was sitting in the backseat- as he watched Malachi open the passenger side door for Kylie before getting into the driver’s seat and pulling the black Camaro convertible out of the driveway.  

 

Malachi pulled into a parking space at The Grove forty minutes later and hurried to the opposite side to open the door for Kylie before taking her hand and guiding them into the outdoor shopping mall.  Harry fell about fifty feet behind them.

“I made an appointment at Maggiano’s for six o’clock.” Malachi noted.

Kylie nodded and the two intertwined their hands once again as they started wandering around the open area.  The two kept silent the entire time- they weren’t very talkative people- and only exchanged a few words here and there.  

Around the second hour of the “date”, Harry pulled out his phone and took a picture of the two teenagers from behind, gushing over how cute they looked with their hands twisted together.  The singer sent the image to Liam and Louis before posting it to his Instagram in black and white (what even was color?) without a caption.  

Malachi wandered over about five minutes later.

“Dad?”

Harry looked up at him with an awaiting expression.

“Can we go to Sprinkles?”

Harry took the hint and nodded, pulling some money from his pocket before Malachi put a hand up to stop him.  The teenager gave his father a knowing look and Harry laughed nervously.

“I’ll be in Barnes and Noble if you need me.”

Malachi smiled thankfully and Harry scurried away, allowing the couple to be.  

 

“Oh. My. God.”

“Is that?”

“Malachi Stylinson?!”

Malachi cringed at the name.  Stylinson was not his last name, but he was used to people calling him by that one, because it was easier than “Tomlinson-Styles” and two, because the One Direction fans had always combined Harry & Louis’ names, and continued to do so even after the names had been hyphenated.  

The seventeen year old silently prayed that the ordeal wouldn’t go any further than that, but, of course, it did.

“And is that Liam’s daughter?”

“Kylie!”

“Oh my God, I can’t believe this.”

And, honestly, Malachi couldn’t believe it either.

“Look! Harry even posted a picture! It is them!”

Malachi silently cursed his father and looked up at Kylie, who was sitting beside him with a similar look of distaste on her face.  

I’m sorry. Malachi mouthed to Kylie, who simply shrugged as if to say what can you do?

Malachi was dreadfully awaiting the person’s approach towards them, because he really didn’t want this date to be ruined.  Any other date might be okay, but definitely not this one.  

Kylie seemed to think the same, because she scooted her chair closer to Malachi’s and swiped her finger through her cupcake before wiping the frosting on Malachi’s cheek.

“Hey!” he exclaimed in protest.

Kylie giggled and wiped her finger off on a brown napkin.  Malachi caught her off guard and jabbed a finger into her side, causing Kylie to yelp and throw her cupcake off the table.

“Hey!” Kylie whined.

Malachi laughed.

“I’ll buy you another one.” he promised.

Kylie frowned, still, and Malachi pressed his lips to Kylie’s before pulling away with a smile.

“Better?” he asked.

“Eh.”

Kylie giggled again while Malachi feigned hurt.  The boy’s phone vibrated on the table and he checked it with a slight frown.

@[whatever 1D fan username]: OMG @Malachi_TS and @KyliePayne15 are the cutest couple of the year!!!!!

The tweet was accompanied by a picture of the kiss the couple had shared not even a minute ago.

“We should leave.” Kylie mentioned quietly.

Malachi nodded and locked his phone, finishing off his cupcake and standing up, lacing his fingers into Kylie’s and ducking his head as they left the cupcake shop.  

“There they are!”

“Oh my gosh, they’re adorable!”

Malachi tightened his grip on Kylie’s hand and gently pulled her to Barnes & Noble, taking the escalator to the kids’ section where he knew his father always hid.

“Dad?” Malachi called.

The teenagers found Harry curled up in a bean bag chair, and he looked at them expectantly, setting his book aside.

“We’ve got a problem.”

Harry snuck behind the two teenagers to the escalator, where his eyes widened at the decent sized crowd that had gathered outside the bookstore.  

“Should I call someone?” Harry asked, referring to security.

“No!” Malachi exclaimed.

He did not want this date to be ruined.  

“I can distract them?” Harry offered.

Malachi’s eyebrows raised.

“I’ll draw them away and let you two have your freedom.” Harry explained.

Malachi didn’t need to verbally agree for Harry to start making his way down the escalator and out of the building, effectively drawing every single girl in his direction.  Malachi felt a bit bad as he watched his father get swarmed, but tugged Kylie’s hand anyway as they slipped to the opposite exit and hurried the other way.  

 

“I’m really sorry about this.” Malachi frowned deeply.

The couple was sitting in a dressing room in Nordstrom, the manager having allowed them after they came rushing inside and away from the small amount of girls that had started following them.  

“It’s okay. What else can you expect when your parents were 3/5 of One Direction?”

That was another reason Kylie felt perfect for Malachi.  She understood that life wasn’t ever going to be normal, and she, like Malachi, took it in stride.  Naturally, it annoyed her at times, but when she needed to understand, she did.  

“It’s five forty. Should we try and make a break for Maggiano’s?” Malachi asked.

“I like challenges.” Kylie teased.

The two stood up, straightening their clothes.  Malachi reached out and opened the door, letting Kylie out before him.  

“Shit.”

The crowd had grown to about twenty girls and about ten paparazzi had been added to the mixture.  

“Why can’t they leave us alone?” Malachi groaned.

Kylie ran her thumb along the back of Malachi’s hand in an attempt to relax the seventeen year old as they fought their way through the crowd, heads still ducked.  Flashes from paparazzi cameras were going off around them and Malachi pulled Kylie closer, wrapping an arm around her when the crowd drew closer around them.

It took about thirty minutes for Harry to find the two teenagers, and when he did, he was accompanied by three mall security guards who instantly started pushing away the crowd so they three of them could pass.

Another thirty minutes later and the three of them were safely inside Maggiano’s the other waiting customers watching them with wide and curious eyes.  It wasn’t everyday you watched a group of people being attacked by paparazzi.  

Harry broke off to wait by the bar and Malachi guided Kylie to the booth he had reserved for them in the back, eager to try and fix the damage that had been done.

 

“I’m really sorry about what happened.”

Kylie and Malachi stood on the doorstep of the Payne household, and Malachi nervously ran a hand through his hair.  

“It’s alright.”

“Maybe we can make it up later with a movie night at my house?” Malachi offered.

“Sounds good to me.”

Malachi smiled at the plan and watched Kylie unlock the front door before turning back to him.  The seventeen year old boy closed the gap between them and kissed Kylie gently before smiling at her.

“Happy anniversary.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cheesy ending :P


	9. Emergency Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A football game doesn’t go very well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chapters have been mostly about Malachi lately :|

“Harry, he’s not moving.”

“He just moved his head.”

“Harry, he’s not getting up.”

“It was a hard tackle.”

“Harry, do something!”

“I can’t do anything right now, Lou!”

The smaller of the husbands clung tightly to Harry’s arm, watching with wide eyes as the team trainers tended to their son, who was still lying on the pitch- almost five minutes after he had been victim to a nasty tackle.  

Harry had noticed the way Malachi’s ankle twisted and his foot seemed to catch on something as his body continued moving, foot still in the same place, but luckily Louis hadn’t or he would probably be rushing onto the field.  

“Is it his knee?” Louis asked, worry evident.

“I think it’s his ankle.” Niall replied with a mouthful of popcorn.

The stadium stayed quiet as the second trainer drove onto the field with a golf cart and the first trainer helped to Malachi to his feet- well, foot- and into the passenger seat of the cart.  The three of them were driven to the sideline to allow the game to resume.

 

Louis and Harry rushed to the sideline following the game, Niall, Zayn, and Liam offering to stay in the stands to watch the kids.  Jai had managed to accompany Harry and Louis since he seemed awfully distraught that Malachi was hurt.

Malachi was standing next to the bench, weight resting on a pair of crutches with his ankle wrapped with a large bag of ice.  The trainer was standing beside him.

“Hey, dads.” the teenager greeted.

Harry could identify the pain laced behind his smile, but the smile grew in size when Jai ran towards him.  Malachi let his younger brother wrap his arms around his good leg.

“He still can’t put any weight on it,” the trainer noted, “I advise taking him to the emergency room.”

Louis’ eyes widened.

“Emergency room?”

The trainer nodded.

 

Three hours, an X-Ray, and an MRI later revealed a broken ankle and a few torn ligaments.  

Niall and Zayn had taken the kids (again, aside from Jai) back to the Tomlinson-Payne house, so Harry texted them the information once he knew and told them they would be home in about an hour.  

Malachi had allowed Jai to sit on his lap the entire time (except for during the X-Ray and MRI, of course) and the five year old babbled on and on about his day at school, to which Malachi listened to every word of.  

Jai was even allowed to pick Malachi’s cast color- blue- and was first to sign it, claiming the bottom of the foot since “nobody liked there anyways”.  

 

Four hours following the end of the game and Louis was walking out of the hospital hand in hand with Harry, Malachi crutching a little ways ahead of them and Jai clinging tightly to his back, waving at everyone they passed.  

Everyone they passed beamed at Jai and laughed a little at the boy’s actions.

When the four boys reached the hospital exit, Harry stepped forward and pried Jai off Malachi’s back, noticing that the five year old’s arms were starting to slip- and they did not want to spend another four hours in the hospital.  

No, one visit to the emergency room was quite enough.


End file.
